Cases & Commentaries

Admitted to the trauma service following severe injuries, a man is transferred to the ICU for mechanical ventilation. After 6 weeks of hospitalization, the patient's initial shoulder injury progressed to involve significantly limited mobility and pain, prompting concern that physical therapy should have been initiated earlier.

This analysis of the Veterans Health Administration root cause analysis database identified adverse events that occurred during rehabilitation services, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech and language therapy. Rehabilitation-related adverse events were extremely rare. The most common incidents were falls and delayed response to clinical deterioration.

Journal Article > Review

Transitions are a complicated and vulnerable time for patients, particularly for those with complex care needs. This review examines the literature around care transitions and insights from patient and family advisory councils. The authors recommend standardizing the process for veterans with complex conditions and suggest focus on the use of real-time information exchange, documented care plans, and engaging patients and their families in transitions.

Documentation of important care transition information, such as medication changes and pending test results, was often lacking when patients were transferred from a hospital to a rehabilitation facility.